Method of and device for wrapping articles



March 7, 1967 K. LIEDTKE METHOD OF AND DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES Filed Sept, 20, 1963 Jnvemar: Kurt L zedtk'e ,VA T

United States Patent M 3,307,327 METHGD OF AND DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES Kurt Liedtke, Verden, Aller, Germany, assignor to Focke & Pfuhl, Bremen, Germany, a firm Filed Sept. 20,. 1963, Ser. No. 310,358 Claims priority, application Germany, June 14, 1963,

7 Claims. a. 53-230 This invention relates to a method of and a device for wrapping articles, in which a wrapping foil is preferably continuously fed towards the articles to be wrapped.

In the wrapping of individual articles, especially such of square or briquet shape, as for example cigarette packages, in relatively thin foils particular difficulties arise in feeding the foil to the individual articles to be wrapped therein. Such difiiculties result especially from the high operating speeds of modern packing machines and the necessarily high feed speeds of the wrapping foil.

In the conventional packing machines of this kind, the individual packages are moved by means of driven dogs or pusher members towards the wrapping foil blank which is fed vertically to the feed direction of the packages. In the further wrapping process, this foil blank is folded in U-shape round the moving package. Subsequently the further folding operations are carried out. In this arrangement, the wrapping foil is fed by means of feed rolls to the articles to be wrapped.

Between the feed rolls and the articles to be wrapped the guiding and conveying of the wrapping foil is effected in various ways in these known packing machines. In a known type of such packing machines, for example, the foil is fed by gravity to the wrapping station. Moreover, conveyor belts, carrier claws and suction discs have already been suggested for feeding the wrapping foil from the feed rolls to the wrapping station.

It is the object of the invention to provide at a relatively low expenditure a reliable guide for the wrapping foil, particularly in the case of a relatively thin and/or electrostatic foil and a high feed speed.

This object is attained according to the present invention by the provision of a method of and device for wrapping articles, which method comprises the steps of feeding a wrapping foil towards the articles to be wrapped, the wrapping foil being guided by means of an air stream effective in the feed direction and having a speed higher than that of the feed speed of the wrapping foil.

The wrapping foil is advantageously guided in an indraft produced by a vacuum.

By these features it is obtained that the wrapping foil is guided over the whole feed distance in such a manner that any fluttering or upsetting of the foil as well as creasing thereof is reliably avoided. Special dog or carrier devices can be dispensed with.

For carrying out the aforedescribed method, the invention provides a device for wrapping articles which comprises a substantially closed guide channel for feeding and guiding a wrapping foil by means of an air stream and a feed passage for the articles to be wrapped, said feed passage extending transversely of the feed direction of said wrapping foil.

If the air stream used for guiding the wrapping foil is an indraft, the vacuum producing this indraft may be generated by means of a suction fan arranged at the outlet end of the guide channel for the wrapping foil, in such a manner that air can stream into the guide channel through any openings provided therein. Thus, the wrapping foil is guided at any place of the feed distance in an air stream so that an unobstructed frictionless and thus optionally fast feed of the wrapping foil through the guide channel is obtained. In this arrangement, the

3,307,327 Patented Mar. 7, 1967 air stream may flow at an appreciably higher speed than the feed speed of the wrapping foil.

Advantageously, the feed passage through which the articles to be wrapped are fed towards the wrapping foil may be provided on its outlet side on either side of the respective article to be wrapped with folding edges adapted to fold the wrapping foil round the said article.

A severing device may be arranged on the upstream side of the feed passage so as to be intermittently operable in dependence on the feed of the articles to be wrapped, thereby to cut appropriately dimensioned foil blanks off the continuous wrapping foil.

According to a further suggestion of the present invention a collecting recipient for unused foil blanks may be arranged in a widened portion of the guide channel on the downstream side of the feed passage with respect to the feed direction of the wrapping foil, said collecting recipient being permeable to air and acted upon by the air stream in said guide channel. Such unused foil blanks are, for example, foil blanks that have slipped the wrapping operation when no article has been fed. These loose foil blanks may remain in the collecting recipient until this is emptied so that they are prevented from disturbing the operation of the device.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevational view of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross section taken on the line II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through a detail. of the device; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical section through the device with a package being inserted therein.

For the sake of simplification, only those parts of the proposed wrapping device are illustrated in the drawing, which are material to the invention.

The drawing shows a wrapping device which includes feed rolls 11 and 12 arranged for pulling a wrapping foil 10 preferably continuously off a supply roll, not shown, during the wrapping process. The feed rolls 11 and 12 are disposed at the inlet end of a guide channel 13 for the wrapping foil 10. The arrangement of the feed rolls 11 and 12 is such that the wrapping foil 10 will be inserted into the guide channel 13 substantially along the longitudinal center line thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the other end of the guide channel 13 is provided with a hose connection 14 for a suction fan, not shown, for producing within the guide channel 13 an air indraft capable of guiding the wrapping foil 10 in the feed direction indicated by arrows.

For guiding the wrapping foil 10 within the guide channel 13 it is, however, also possible to provide a compressed-air stream.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the guide channel 13 for the wrapping foil It consists of a substantially continuous structure closed on all sides except for a feed passage 16 for introducing by means of a pushing member 21, FIG. 4, articles 15 to be wrapped. The feed passage 16 is formed by lateral flange-like projections 17, 18, 19 and 20 projecting in opposite directions from the wall of the guide channel 13. Within the guide channel 13 and upstream of the feed passage 16 a severing device 22 is provided for cutting for each of the articles 15 to be wrapped an appropriately dimensioned foil blank 23 off the continuous wrapping foil 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the severing device 22 consists of a stationary blade 24 projecting int-o the guide channel 13 and of a rotary blade 25 which likewise projects into the guide channel 13.

Further details of the device will be mentioned in the following description of an example of carrying out the method of wrapping an article according to the invention:

Through the feed rolls 11 and 12 the wrapping foil is fed into the guide channel 13 at a speed corresponding with the performance of the wrapping device. When the wrapping foil is introduced into the guide channel 13 at the inlet end thereof, it is guided and conveyed in the feed direction by means of the air stream prevailing in the guide channel 13. When the heading end of the wrapping foil 10 has passed the article feed passage 16 by a predetermined distance, the article 15 to be wrapped is moved by means of the pushing member 21 through the feed passage 16 towards the wrapping foil 16. As soon as the wrapping foil 10 is engaged by the article 15 the severing device 22 becomes operative and a foil blank 23 corresponding to the size of the article 15 is cut oh the continuous wrapping foil 10. As the article 15 is moved on by the pushing member 21 the heading end of the article 15 is introduced together with the middle portion of the foil blank 23 between the flange-like projections 19 and 20 which with the wall of the guide channel 13 form folding edges 26 and 27 by which the end portions of the foil blank 23 on either side of the middle portion thereof are snugly wrapped or folded around the article 15. When the article 15 wrapped in the foil blank 23 has left the feed passage 16 through the other end thereof, further folding operations will be carried out until the package is completed. During its whole movement the wrapping foil 10 is acted upon by the air stream which is also effective in the regions of the openings through which the blades 24 and 25 project into the guide channel 13 and in the region of the feed passage 15, since through these openings air streams continuously into the guide channel 13. Thus, even in the aforementioned regions the feed of the wrapping foil 10 is not obstructed as it is guided throughout its length without any friction so as to be free from folds. The direction of the air streaming through the individual openings into the guide channel 13 is indicated by arrows shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 4 which also illustrates the aforedescribed steps of the method of wrapping articles.

When the article 15 is pushed through the feed passage 16, the inside width of the guide channel 13 is diminished by the widths of the article 15 and the pushing member 21, but the guide channel 13 is so dimensioned that on either side of the feed passage 16 there remains suificient clearance for the passing air stream as can be seen from FIG. 1. This cross-sectional constriction of the guide channel 13 brings about an increased suction effect in the lateral portions 31 and 32 of the guide channel 13. Such increased suction is also effected in the direction of the feed rolls 11 and 12 so that the indraft remains efiicient even on the upstream side of the cross-section constriction.

According to a further feature of the invention, a collecting recepient 28 (FIG. 1) is provided which is permeable to air and practically formed by a widened portion 29 of the guide channel 13. The widened portion 29 accommodates a filter member 30, i.e. a member permeable to air, which likewise is acted upon by the air stream prevailing in the guide channel 13. The collecting recipient 28 serves for collecting foil blanks 23 that have slipped the wrapping operation and to hold these foil blanks 23 until the collecting recipient 28 is emptied. By this measure it is prevented that foil blanks 23 flying about freely can disturb the operation of the device. Such loose foil blanks 23 occur, for example, on an idle stroke of the pusher member 21, since the feed of the wrapping foil 10 and the severing operation are effected continuously and even when there is no article to be wrapped. The individual loose foil blanks 23 are held on the bottom of the filter member 30 by the suction effect of the indraft.

Instead of a closed guide channel 13 also a substantially closed channel, i.e. more or less open channel or channel-like guide can be used for the air stream. Important is only that an air stream can be produced in the channel-like guide. The wrapping foil 10 may be guided from top to bottom or vice versa or even in another direction, for example horizontally.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, intended to be embraced therein.

1' claim:

1. A device for wrapping articles comprising a substantially closed guide channel for feeding and guiding a wrapping foil by means of an air stream and a feed passage for the articles to be wrapped, said feed passage extending transversely of the feed direction of said wrapping foil, said feed passage having an inlet and an outlet portion, said outlet portion being provided with folding edges for wrapping the wrappingfoil snugly around the article to be wrapped, said guide channel being wider than said feed passage in the region of said feed passage.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a severing device is arranged on the upstream side of the feed passage so as to be intermittently operable in dependence on the feed of the articles to be wrapped, thereby to cut appropriately dimensioned foil blanks off the continuous wrapping foil.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2, wherein feed rolls are disposed at the inlet end of the guide channel, for feeding the wrapping foil into said guide channel.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein a collecting recepient for unused foil blanks is arranged in a widened portion of the guide channel on the downstream side of the feed passage with respect to the feed direction of the wrapping foil, said collecting recepient being permeable to air and acted upon by the air stream in said guide channel.

5. In a device for wrapping artciles the combination comprising supply means to feed a continuous sheet of wrapping material to said device; a guide channel to define a path for said sheet of wrapping material; cutting means intermediate said guide channel to sever the wrapping material into desired lengths; forming means immediately below said cutting means and intermediate said guide channel, said forming means being situated transverse to said guide channel and having an inlet portion to feed unwrapped articles into said guide channel and an egress portion to accept wrapped articles from said guide channel; the lower end of the channel being adapted for the attachment of suction means that is positioned below said guide channel and said forming means to create an uninterrupted inwardly directed air stream all along said guide channel, said inwardly directed air stream being of sufiicient intensity to continuously draw the wrapping material from said supply means into said guide channel and into position relative to said forming means.

6. The wrapping device as defined in claim 5 wherein the speed of said inwardly directed air stream is greater than that of said wrapping material whereby the pressure prevailing in said guide channel permits air from outside said device to enter through the openings in said guide channel created by said supply means and said inlet and outlet portions of said forming means.

7. The wrapping device as defined in claim 5 wherein said guide channel is wider than said forming means, so that even when said unwrapped article is fed transversely from said inlet portion into and across said guide channel into said egress portion the guide channel is sufiicient- 5 6 1y wide to permit the inwardly directed air stream to con- FOREIGN PATENTS tinue to flow toward said suction means. 572,313 4/1959 Belgium References Cited by the Examiner 923002 4/1963 Great Bmam' UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

1,847,915 3/ 1932 Bailey 27174 X L. s. BOUCHARD, Assistant Examiner, 2,347,046 4/1944 Geiger 83-100X 

1. A DEVICE FOR WRAPPING ARTICLES COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED GUIDE CHANNEL FOR FEEDING AND GUIDING A WRAPPING FOIL BY MEANS OF AN AIR STREAM AND A FEED PASSAGE FOR THE ARTICLES TO BE WRAPPED, SAID FEED PASSAGE EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE FEED DIRECTION OF SAID WRAPPING FOIL, SAID FEED PASSAGE HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET PORTION, SAID OUTLET PORTION BEING PROVIDED WITH FOLDING EDGES FOR WRAPPING THE WRAPPING FOIL SNUGLY AROUND THE ARTICLE TO BE WRAPPED, SAID GUIDE CHANNEL BEING WIDER THAN SAID FEED PASSAGE IN THE REGION OF SAID FEED PASSAGE. 